DNA Kit Leads To Conviction Of Man In 30-Year-Old Rape

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — More than 30 years after a young mother was raped, her attacker has been convicted of the crime.

On Nov. 15, 1988, the woman fell asleep on the couch of her home and was awoken in the middle of the night by a stranger who was holding a knife to her throat. The man threatened to stab her young son if she screamed or fought back.

The woman was raped twice before her attacker fled.

Deputies arrived at the scene and found a knife outside the front door of the woman's home. The knife was taken from the resident's kitchen knife set and used by the man to threaten her. A sexual battery examination of the victim was done at that time. Eventually, the case went cold and no further leads were developed.

In 2017, as part of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's backlog purge, the sexual battery examination kit was analyzed and a DNA profile of the suspect was identified. The investigation was re-activated and Phillip Coward, 60, was arrested on June 11, 2018, for the rape.

On Dec. 18, a jury convicted Coward on two counts of sexual battery with a weapon. Coward's sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 13.